


Transit umbra, lux permanet

by magicianparrish



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: F/M, M/M, but he just so happens to be a witch too, still dreamer Ronan, this is basically a magical world au, werewolf!Adam, where Henrietta is a magical hot spot for magical creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-10 12:09:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12298959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicianparrish/pseuds/magicianparrish
Summary: But even the residents stayed out of the forest on the border. There was something that felt off-putting. The aura that surrounded the trees screamed to enter at your own peril. At least, that’s what Maura had always said to Blue as a kid. Rumors had always been flying around about the forest. The trees that lived there were sentient; there was an evil witch that lived there; once you entered you could never leave willingly. Things to keep curious kids away.or an au where Adam, Ronan, and Noah are protectors of Cabeswater, and Henry, Gansey, and Blue get roped into some trouble. Also, Adam is a werewolf and Noah is a shapeshifting familiar to Ronan who is a wizard, but still a dreamer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I uh, have no idea where I'm going with this. The idea came to me in the middle of the night last night and it's been in my head all day so I wrote somethings out. 
> 
> It's probably because I'm also getting into the Halloween mood now. I don't know when updates will be. Very sporadic is all I can guarantee. Hope you like it!
> 
> This is also not beta'd so all mistakes are mine.

“Are you sure we should be going in here?” Blue asked for the tenth time that night. 

Gansey was leading the charge, walking them into a forest on the outside of Henrietta, a town that seemed to be a hot spot for magic, and all kinds of magical beings. The town was littered with witches, psychics (who may as well be witches but do not like that term, Gansey found out quickly when he met Blue’s family that first time), wizards, vampires, elves, and other kinds of magical entities that did not belong in the status quo of the mortal world. 

But even the residents stayed out of the forest on the border. There was something that felt off-putting. The aura that surrounded the trees screamed to enter at your own peril. At least, that’s what Maura had always said to Blue as a kid. Rumors had always been flying around about the forest. The trees that lived there were sentient; there was an evil witch that lived there; once you entered you could never leave willingly. Things to keep curious kids away. 

Unfortunately for Blue, both Gansey and Henry did not grow up in Henrietta, therefore hadn’t grown up with these stories. And Gansey had the urge to discover all things magical, to uncover secrets. And Henry was more than willing to tag along and humor Gansey. Sometimes Blue regretted being in love with them. 

Gansey was marching with the confidence that was thrust upon him at birth. He was looking around in awe at the trees. They swayed back and forth, even though there was no wind as far as Blue could tell. And upon entering, they had discovered that their means of telling time had stalled. 

“Jane, there is nothing to worry about here. I felt the hum of the lay line bring us here, and I want to discover why it seems to be so strong at this moment. It can help me with my dissertation,” Gansey responded. 

He stopped his walking and turned around to her. He was wearing a bright green polo shirt, and chino shorts with hiking boots; even after so long of knowing him he had an appalling sense of fashion. He stepped forward with a winning smile on his face and put his hands on her shoulders. 

“Can you imagine if I got that breakthrough I feel in my bones? God, it would open up a whole new realm of possibilities for the magic community,” he declared. 

Blue let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. She flapped her hand away and started to move forward through the forest. She could practically feel Gansey’s excitement and Henry’s amusement and affection. 

She didn’t know how long they were in there for. Occasionally, the trees would start to sway again, and she could hear the rustling of the leaves. She wondered if the trees really were sentient. 

“Look at this!” Henry said suddenly. 

Both Blue and Gansey turned to see Henry crouched down and looking at the ground. They both walked over. It was a giant paw print in the dirt. Gansey took out his journal and began to sketch it. 

“It looks like it could belong to a large dog perhaps,” Gansey observed. 

“I don’t think large dogs would be meandering around in a magical forest, Gansey,” Blue countered. 

Gansey held up a finger and put the pencil behind his ear. “Actually, black dogs to tend to be found in the vicinity of ley lines. I wouldn’t count them out yet.”

Blue flapped her hand. “Yeah, yeah. Save the lecture for someone new.” 

The trees started to rustle again, this time more loudly. And Blue actually felt a chill run down her spine and causing goosebumps to occur on her arms. She looked towards Gansey and Henry and saw they felt the same thing. 

She heard then the distinct crushing of leaves on the floor. Blue looked up and saw that instead of the leaves being a bring green like they were in summer, they were now a spectrum of yellows, reds, and oranges. And the leaves had fallen to the ground. She had never seen anything like that. 

“Did you guys hear that?” Henry whispered. He scooched over to huddle closer to Blue. 

Gansey picked up a yellow leaf that had fallen to the ground. He was observing it closely like it was an antiquity in a museum. 

“How peculiar. It seems we’ve switches seasons in the blink of an eye,” he observed. He then wrote down whatever thoughts came into his mind into the notebook. 

Blue let out a glare. “Shut up. Someone has been following us,” she harshly whispered towards Gansey. 

Together, they all slowly stood up and carefully trodded back towards the clearing. As they turned around, something came barreling out of the thickets and in front of them. All three of them huddled together and screamed in fear. 

When the initial shock wore off, Blue opened her eyes and saw that it was the largest wolf she had ever seen in her life. It was the first indicator to Blue that this was not a regular wolf. It was magical. His fur was the color of dust, with his back colored dark brown. Scars criss crossed his face and legs. But the most amazing part were the eyes. They did not belong on the wolf; they were the color of the sky. The wolf was majestic looking. 

He was pacing back and forth, but never took his eyes off the three of them. Gansey looked awestruck. He took a step forward, and immediately the wolf bristled and growled showing off his sharp teeth. Gansey startled back and held his hands out in surrender. 

“My, you are a magnificent specimen,” he said. 

The wolf seemed to glare at Gansey’s complement and he growled a little bit. Gansey didn’t look too deterred. The were at a standstill for what seemed like forever. Whenever one of them took a step, the wolf growled in warning. 

“ _ Magi _ !” a voice yelled finally. It caught the wolf’s attention. His ears flickered and he looked towards the direction of the voice. 

There was some rustling ing from the bushes, and Blue tensed afraid it would be another wolf again. Instead a lynx came prancing out and went straight for the wolf. It rubbed its head against the wolf’s leg, and then suddenly, it morphed into a human. 

“What are you doing here? He’s going crazy looking for you!” he exclaimed. 

The man was average height. He had bleached blonde hair that was artfully spiked, and reminded Blue of Henry’s hairstyle of choice. He was very pale, but not in a sickly way. Blue was amazed at the sight of him. She saw the wolf huff and let out a loud exhale and he turned towards the three of them again. 

The pale man let out a yelp of surprise, nearly jumping five feet in the air. He hid behind the wolf for protection. Blue watched as Gansey put on his Richard Gansey III mask on and he approached. The wolf once again growled in warning. 

“Hello there. I must say that was some amazing shapeshifting you did there. I’ve never seen anyone do it so effortlessly before. I’m Gansey, and this is my girlfriend Blue, and our lovely partner Henry,” he introduced. 

Blue and Henry waved at the two figures trying to come off as friendly and hopefully not get jinxed by the shapeshifter, or mauled by the wolf, or both. The man looked between the three of them, still looking a little skittish from the scare they gave him. He then shared a glance with the wolf whose ears twitched and he shook his head like he had an itch. 

The man let out a sigh. 

“You three best come with us. He’s not going to be happy about this,” he said with his lips pursed. 

“Wait, come where? And who is this ‘he’, you’re talking about?” Blue demanded. She crossed her arms over her chest. 

“To our house. And to the protector of this forest. Come along now.” 

 

* * *

Blue still didn’t feel following a wolf and a shapeshifter through a magical forest blindly was a good idea. But Gansey had followed them without waiting for the consensus of Blue or Henry, which made them go after him so he wouldn’t get killed.

As the trekked through, Blue noticed that the trees had shifted again from autumn colors, into the blossoms of spring. The trees had flowers and fruits of all kinds on their branches, and they looked ripe, and colorful. She could hear birds chirping and singing tunes to one another. Blue couldn’t believe her eyes at what she was seeing. 

After what seemed like hours, a large farm house came into view. Blue couldn’t fathom how such a large house that seemed to belong on an open field, was in the middle of a forest. But as they stepped onto the property, Blue felt a shift in the magic. She looked towards Gansey and Henry and she could tell they felt it too. The trees cleared, and like some sort of concealing spell, the property spread out far behind. The Blue Ridge could be seen. It was like she stepped foot onto a farm property. 

The wolf ran ahead and then lifted his head back. He let out a loud and long howl that lasted at least ten seconds. Then he ran off behind the farmhouse leaving the trio with the shapeshifting man. He turned around with a sheepish smile on his face. 

“Don’t worry about him. He’ll meet up with us later. Now as a fair warning, the protector can be very possessive and protective of who enters here. He’s kinda menacing, but he’s a softie at heart.” 

“He’s not going to kill us, right?” Henry asked. 

The pale man seemed to think about it for a moment. He cringed a little as he looked at the three of them. “I doubt it.” 

“Convincing,” Blue muttered to herself. 

They all walked up the steps to the front veranda of the house before entering the actual house itself. Immediately, Blue found it comfy and well lived in. 

“Please take your shoes off before we venture further. It drives the magician crazy when we track mud inside the house.” 

They all toed off their shoes. “Who is the magician? Is it you?” Gansey inquired. 

He looked positively ecstatic that they had found something on their little excursion in the magical forest. And he was in his professor mode; he wanted to study everything about the house and the creatures they’d encountered. 

The pale man scoffed and looked at them with raised eyebrows. He pointed to himself, and laughed like Gansey had told the funniest joke he’d ever heard. Blue didn’t understand what was so funny, and according to the looks on Gansey and Henry, they didn’t either. 

“Me? Yeah, right. Thanks for giving me the best laugh today though. Nah, the magician is the wolf you encountered.” 

Then he kept walking further into the house. Henry skipped a step to catch up. He raised his hand up with a finger pointed like he was going to make a statement. 

“The wolf? How can an animal be a magician? I mean I know there’s religions that worship animals and stuff, but using the word magician seems oddly...  _ human _ .” 

The pale man shook his head. He twisted around to face them again. He looked them up and down individually before crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Don’t let him or the protector hear that. You’ll be cursed faster then you can blink. Humans are so quick to judge these days, jeez.” 

The man then walked into the kitchen and knocked loudly on the door frame. Blue could smell something cooking, and it made her stomach growl. She felt her face flush with heat. Henry let out a snicker, and Gansey just smiled at her. 

“Knock, knock! Protector you better be making good food!” he said with a cheery tone to his voice. 

“Why the fuck are you calling me that?” a rough voice demanded. 

The pale man cringed a little and started to rub the back of his neck. He also started to bounce back and forth from the heel to the balls of his feet. 

“Uh, because we have company?” he said hesitantly. His gray eyes darted towards the three of them, and they took that as their cue to enter. 

Blue heard some clattering and when she walked in, she saw the most menacing person she’d ever seen. He was tall, and pale like the shapeshifter. His head was closely shaved, and he had sharp features that could cut glass. His eyes were ice blue and piercing. Blue could see the hooks of a tattoo curling over the edge of his neck, and he also had sleeves of them covering both his arms. 

He glared at all of them and let out a growl that was very reminiscent of the wolf’s. Then he turned the heat towards the other pale man. 

“Why the fuck are there people in my house?” he gritted out. 

He let out a yelp. “Ask the magician! He found them!” And with that he transformed into a lynx again. The bald man started to chase after the shapeshifter, but he had the agility of a cat that the bald man did not, and slipped out through the cat door that probably led to the back yard or something. 

The bald man slammed his fist into the door. “You goddamn demon! Fuck you and your shapeshifting abilities!” he screamed. 

He then whipped around to face the three of them. He leveled a glare at all of them. Then he pointed towards the three stools next to the island in the kitchen. 

“Sit the fuck down,” he demanded. 

None of them argued with the bald, tattooed man. They all took a seat and just continued to watch him cook whatever it was on the stove and in the oven. It smelled delicious. 

A few minutes later, Blue heard the distinct sound of the front door opening and closing. A man came through the door frame and into the kitchen. He was tall, almost as tall as the bald man. His skin was tan, scarred and freckled. He had hair the color of dust that was a little shaggy and long. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and a pair of jeans with scuffed sneakers. Blue thought he looked familiar, even though she had never met the man before. 

The three of them caught his eye, and he raised an eyebrow at them. His blue eyes, which were a little darker than the bald man’s seemed to analyze them. Then he turned his attention to the bald man and a small smile appeared on his lips. 

“You better be serving them some of that food, y’know,” he said. His voice was deep, and his southern accent elongated all the words. He sounded like a local. 

The bald man turned his head to face the tan one. His demeanor softened around him and he rolled his eyes. 

“Why the fuck do you think I’m still at this thing? Also you have some explaining to do, bringing these humans in here.” 

Blue watched him portion out the food onto different plates and he practically slammed each of them down in front of the three of them. Then he grabbed one for himself and sat down as well. The tan man sat across. 

“I did howl before they entered. Can’t say I didn’t warn you,” the tan man responded before taking a bite of the rice pilaf. 

“How the fuck was I supposed to know that meant company?” 

The tan man shrugged his shoulders and smirked at the bald man. “We’ve been living together for how long now? You should know the distinctions.” 

Blue was worried that the food had been laced with poison at first. It was a reasonable assumption, considering the man who seemed to own the house was less than happy to see three strangers.But when she saw the two of them eating without a worry in the world, she figured it was okay. She took a bite of the buttered corn, and almost moaned at how good it was. 

Gansey took a bite of his sweet potatoes out of courtesy, but then put his fork down and laced his hands together. Blue could see he was getting ready to do an interview. 

“Pardon my interruption, but may you tell us who you are and where exactly we are at the moment?” he asked.

The two men, who Blue had deduced were a couple, stopped their quipping and turned their attention to Gansey who had spoken up. Blue found them incredibly intimidating, but she hid it. She had a reputation to uphold. 

“Names have power,” the tan man said sagely. “You don’t just go throwing them around.”

“And we aren’t going to be revealing them to three strangers who trespassed into my forest. You will address us the protector,” the bald man said pointing to himself, “the magician,” pointing to the tan man, “and that little demon who brought you here.” 

The magician rolled his eyes. “The prefered term he likes is  _ familiar _ .” 

Blue perked up at the mention of a familiar. She leaned forward towards the protector and magician. Both of them raised eyebrows at the same time. 

“Familiar? Only witches have familiars. Are a witch?” she asked. 

The protector bared his teeth at her. “None of your goddamn business. You’re lucky I didn’t curse you when I first saw you.” 

Blue leaned back and nodded her head. He had just confirmed what she had thought. Only people who possessed magic could lay curses on others. It was Henry who then leaned forward with a question. 

“Your, uh, familiar told us that the wolf who found us was the magician. But this handsome fellow here, you just referred to as such.” It was a question, but the question mark was practically there. 

The protector then turned to the magician with a sharp smile on his face. He cut a piece of his chicken cutlet and put it in his mouth. 

“Yes, tell me, magician, how did you find these suckers? Give ‘em a good scare?” he teased. 

The magician’s nose twitched and he bared his teeth just a little. “The forest gave me a nice vision this morning that there were people entering the premise. I just did my job. So much for you being the protector.”

“Hey, I just make sure this place doesn’t burn to the ground. You’re my little security team. You just give teenagers, or  _ adults _ ,” he said glancing at the three of them, “a scare so they run away and tell their friends to not come here. A wolf is far more scarier than myself, because at least people know a wolf can eat their faces in a second if provoked.” 

The way the protector said it, was very pointed at the three of them. Like he had expected them to run away scared when a giant wolf approached them instead of having a staredown. It probably worked every other time a group of people showed up. 

Henry pointed a finger at the magician. “So, just so we’re on the same page here. This dude right here, is also the giant wolf that scared the living bejesus out of me?” 

The magician nodded his head and took a bite of his sweet potatoes. Henry let out a long breath and leaned back. Gansey looked absolutely delighted at the information. He whipped out his notebook and began writing. 

“The fuck is that?” the protector asked. 

“My journal. I am rather fond of the supernatural things of the world, and work closely with magical institutions. I’m just writing all my observations. You two are just fascinating. A real life werewolf in my midst! Who would’ve thought?” 

A pale hand went over the journal pages. Gansey looked startled and stared back at the protector. 

“We’re not some fucking science experiment, human. You don’t speak a word about this to anyone outside this room.” 

“Why ever not?” Gansey wondered, baffled at the man's reaction. 

The protector leaned forward. His eyes seemed to grow cold in his glare at Gansey. Blue instinctively leaned back. 

“Because we don’t want to be found. There is a reason why this forest is virtually untouched. It is sensitive and we can’t be having people from all over the magical world coming to try and sap it’s power. There are bad people out there who want this power. And we don’t want to have to deal with them.” 

“It really is amazing though that you managed to get this far. The forest usually rejects intruders before I can get to them. I usually just chase them out of the vicinity, not the actual forest itself.” 

“You talk like this forest is alive,” Gansey observed. 

The magician looked at Gansey. His fine bone structure made him eerie looking, especially in the dimming light from outside. 

“That’s because it is. We are merely servants to this place.” 

Blue could see Gansey itching to write down in his journal. But the protector’s hand was still over the pages and didn’t seem to be moving any time soon. His hazel eyes were wide in wonder. 

“Fascinating. This is truly fascinating. Does this forest have a name?” 

“Names have power,” the magician repeated. “If the forest wants you back, then it will reveal itself again to you. Now it seems to be getting late, and you should go back to where you came from. Our familiar will show you the way out.” 

The lynx familiar came prancing inside the house again and he morphed back into his human form. He flashed a bright smile. 

“This way lady and gents!” 

He walked them out of the property, and like clockwork Blue felt the shift in magic, and she was surrounded by tall trees once more. The walk back seemed to be much shorter than the walk in. 

“I do hope you can come back. I like you guys a lot. And it seems the other two did as well.” 

“What makes you say that?” Blue asked, skeptical. 

“They didn’t curse you on your way out, or you didn’t get chased by the magician in his wolf form. They asked me to escort you to safety! Which is really something. I haven’t done that in years!” 

“Great,” Blue muttered. 

The familiar flashed a bright smile showing off his white teeth. “Well, goodbye!” he waved before turning into his lynx form and running back into the bushes.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess this is the next update. I had some of it written out last night, and I guess I seemed to have stumbled upon a little semblance of a plot as I kept writing. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! Once again, I have no idea when updates will be coming. And my other stories aren't finished either, it's just that life is getting in my way and new ideas come crashing to me and I have to write them out too. 
> 
> Once again, not beta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Blue and Gansey were lying in bed together. It had been over a week since their little encounter in the magical forest. 

She had dreams about the forest. The colors of the leaves that were brighter than she’d ever seen before. The changing of the seasons in the span of minutes. How time seemed to hold still while you were there. All of it kept coming back to her in dreams. And in those dreams the trees swayed and rustled together like she’d heard, but this time she was able to decipher words. It was in a language that seemed to sound like Latin, but Blue didn’t know Latin. 

When she woke up, she made sure to write down the phonetic spellings of the words. She wanted to know what the trees were trying to say to her. The sheets were warm, and she could feel Gansey’s body heat next to her. Blue twisted to face him and saw that he was already awake. 

“What’d you write down?” he whispered. 

It was still dark out. The sun would be up soon, but the moon was still reflecting through the window of their room. She snuggled closer to Gansey who maneuvered his arm to go around her shoulders. 

“Words that seemed to be in Latin. The trees of the forest spoke them to me. I want to know what they mean.” 

He nodded his head. “I’ve been dreaming about it too. It’s all I could think about this week. I do feel like I am on the brink of something magnificent. And I want you to be there with me when I find it,” he declared softly.

Blue looked into Gansey’s eyes. And then she leaned in and softly kissed him. It was peaceful. A moment later they released and she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. He was so warm. 

“We can go back today. I’ve been itching.” 

She could hear the smile in his voice, “me too.” 

 

The three of them went back to the forest in the middle of the day. Gansey and Blue had spent all morning translating the supposed messages from the forest into English, so they could understand. 

The list of phrases went as followed: 

_ The Greywaren is our protector, and the wolf is our magician _

_ The trees are Cabeswater _

_ The magician is original man  _

_ We want you to return and help us  _

Blue and Gansey had pondered over what a greywaren could possibly be. Gansey had searched in his journal and combed through his library of books looking for any indication. But he had come up blank. 

“That must be the name of the protector. He is truly an enigma if he really is a man,” Gansey concluded. 

“And if the translation is correct, they gave the hint of the magician’s name. Original man. Whatever that means.” 

“Well perhaps it could mean the protoplast,” Gansey said. 

Blue leveled a blank stare at her lover. “I don’t know what that means, Gansey.” 

He looked sheepish. “It means the first humans in mythology. Maybe he’s named after one of them. There’s Epimetheus, which would be a very unfortunate name to bear. He’s the first man according to the Greeks. There’s also Ask and Lif from Norse Mythology. Of course, there’s the most famous of them all, Adam. The original man created by the Christian God. And you could throw in Noah too for surviving the flood in the Old Testament.” 

Blue held out her hand to stop Gansey from rambling on about all the mythologies he knows. “Adam, you said. Like Adam and Eve?” 

“Precisely. Why?” Gansey confirmed. 

Blue knew the bare basics of Christian theology. She didn’t grow up with a religion, but she did grow up in rural Virginia so she knew all she knew from her environment. The name Adam stuck out to her. 

“Adam. That sounds right for some reason.” 

Gansey raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. “Psychic Intuition, perhaps?” he teased. 

Blue punched him in the shoulder. He let out a loud laugh that echoed in the living room they were in. 

“God, I hate you. You’re lucky that doesn’t sting anymore.” 

“Don’t sell yourself short. You amplify things. That’s a marvelous work of magic for one to have,” Gansey reassured. 

Blue just gave him a look and they continued on. 

* * *

 

The three of them stood on the outskirts of the forest. It looked even more magnificent than Blue remembered. She could feel the buzz of the magical energy that surrounded it. She had never felt anything like it before. 

Henry wrapped his arms around both Gansey and Blue. He brought them in tight and he was wearing a bright smile. “Man, you don’t know how happy I am that you two were dreaming of this too. I thought I was going crazy for a hot second!” 

Gansey looked antsy to go in. He lifted his arm and spread his palm out flat ahead of them. “Excelsior, my friends!” 

The three of them forged ahead. Henry had brought his magical RoboBee with him this time, and it was fluttering around glowing like a lightning bug through the thick canopy of trees. There was really no rhyme or reason to where they were going. But Blue could feel the pull of the energy under her toes. 

“Can you guys feel that?” she wondered. 

“Feel what?” Henry responded. 

Gansey pondered for a moment, and she saw him shuffling his feet a little bit. He looked over towards Blue. “It feels like the energy is pushing us somewhere.” 

Blue snapped her fingers. “Exactly. We should follow it. See where it takes us.” 

As the moved further into the forest, they followed the energy. At some moments it seemed to be so strong it overwhelmed her senses, but then it would sputter out and she’d feel nothing before going back to normal. 

The seasons changed from summer to spring. At one point a giant kaleidoscope of butterflies came fluttering through the trees. And it really looked like a kaleidoscope. The butterflies were all different species and the most vibrantly colored she’d ever seen. Some were bright red and orange; others neon green and cerulean. At one point, a butterfly came onto her hand, and it was a beautiful mixture of purples and blues and blacks; it looked like a galaxy had formed in its wingspan. Blue was mesmerized until they all flew away back into the forest. 

“That was phenomenal. I have never seen so many different species together,” Gansey observed. She knew he’d be sketching them when they were back home.  

The continued to follow the energy. Blue had no sense of how long they’d been walking for. It could’ve been hours, or days and she wouldn’t be sure. Time was weird in this place. It was like it didn’t belong on the mortal plane of existence, but was an entirely new entity on its own. It didn’t follow the rules, and it didn’t want to. 

They entered a clearing. The ground was all dug up, dirt all over the place in large mounds. Blue walked up to the holes and noticed that it looked fresh. It had happened recently. She wondered what would be doing this. 

She heard the familiar rustle of bushes, and she whipped around tense and ready. Gansey and Henry were also in similar positions. RoboBee was flying around looking for signals before landing on Henry’s shoulder. 

From behind the bushes, Blue saw the wolf and lynx from yesterday appear. The two of them seemed to be talking to one another. But all Blue heard was yipping, and that sound Blue heard when dogs tried to talk to humans, from the wolf and meows from the lynx. They seemed to understand each other. 

The three of them just stood there watching the two animals communicate to each other. Then, the wolf paused and raised it’s head and started to sniff. Blue watched as his ears went forward, and its tail was lifted up as he turned to face them. He had a defensive position, and his mouth was puckering, showing his teeth. But then he actually looked at the three of them, and Blue saw recognition go through his eyes and he lost his aggressive edge. Blue could’ve sworn she saw him give a brief smile. 

The familiar then quickly shapeshifted into his human form. He beamed at the three of them with his arms out wide. “You guys came back! Oh, this is just great!”

He then engulfed Blue in a tightly squeezed hug. He ran his hand over her hair, which Blue pulled away from. The familiar looked bummed at the reaction. “Sorry. Your hair is really soft, and I like how it’s spiky.” 

Then he went over and gave both Henry and Gansey their own hugs too. Henry laughed at the familiar, easily returning the gesture. Gansey let out a grunt from the tightness, but he didn’t seem to deterred by the close contact either. 

Gansey nodded his head towards the magician. “What’s he doing, anyway?” 

The familiar followed his line of vision and nodded his head. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, he’s just doing magician work. The forest needed him to help clear out some blockages in the ley line energy. I just tagged along.” 

Gansey visibly brightened. “Ley lines? You know what those are?” he exclaimed. 

The familiar looked at him like he’d grown another head. “Of course I do. I’m surprised you are familiar with the term.” 

“Oh yes, I am quite acquainted with them. I’ve been all over the world exploring them. I’m actually writing my doctoral dissertation on them. This place is the perfect spot for research. And I’m elated that I stumbled upon it.” 

The familiar’s gray eyes brightened. He could see he was amused and curious about Gansey and his endeavors. The taller man wrapped his arm around Gansey’s neck, as they watched the magician dig out large rocks and roll them with his snout into a clearing away from them. 

“Well, I’m glad the forest has accepted you. Now, I do have to ask what has brought you back to our humble abode?” He tilted his head like a curious puppy. 

“It seems that this wonderful forest has been communicating to us in our dreams. We wanted to explore some more.” 

The familiar perked up at this information. He was practically jumping up and down with energy. “Ooooh, that is great. That means it’s accepting you! What did it say?” 

Gansey retold him what they had translated that morning. And then went into his explanation and interpretation he’d come up with regarding those translations. The familiar’s eyes widened even more, making him look comical. His jaw dropped and he turned to face the magician. 

“Holy Moses! You got almost all of it! Do you feel that?” he shouted. 

Blue felt the energy under her feet, and it felt like it had snapped into place. She nodded her head. 

“Our magician has fixed the ley line. Come back with us. Oh man, the protector and the magician are going to be gobsmacked!” 

“Why hasn’t he changed back to his human form yet?” Blue asked as they were all walking back. 

The magician was much further ahead than the rest of them. She wondered if he could hear them. He didn’t make any indication. The familiar leaned in like he was telling a secret to them all. 

“He doesn’t like to transform with others around. It’s a sensitive transformation, and not nearly as smooth as mine. Plus I think he likes the wolf better than being a human anyway,” he whispered with a smile on his face. 

They entered the magical property again, and the familiar brought them inside the farmhouse again. “Remember, shoes off!” he said toeing his own. 

He scampered down the hallway and into another room. It was much larger than the kitchen was. 

“O, Captain! My Captain! We have visitors and they have figured it out!” he yelled. 

“Moron, you only use that phrase when someone died,” the same rough voice that belonged to the protector came. 

Then he stepped into the room. He had a towel that he was wiping his hands with. He was wearing all black and leather and he looked just as menacing as Blue remembered. He glanced at the familiar and then eyed the three of them. The protector sat down on a love seat and propped his socked feet on the ottoman. 

“You were allowed back. Great.” By the tone of his voice, it wasn’t great but he sounded resigned. “What’s this, this idiot is going on about?” 

He gestured for them to take a seat on the couch across from him. They all sat down without argument. The familiar sat on the arm next to Gansey. He had a grin stretched across his face. He pushed Gansey’s shoulder. “Go on. Tell him! Oh wait, should we wait for the magician? He should hear this too!” 

The protector rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. “Whatever. This better be fucking good.” 

The familiar nodded his head. “Oh, it is. Trust me.” 

The magician came in a few minutes later. He entered the foyer scratching his ear. It was strangely canine; Blue thought that maybe some characteristics were interchangeable between the wolf and human forms. The thought was amusing to her. He spared a glance at all of them before seating himself on the arm of the loveseat and wrapping his arm around the protector’s shoulders. 

“What’s with the gathering?” he asked. 

The familiar stood up and walked over to the magician and put his hands on his shoulders. “They figured it out! The forest spoke to them in their dreams!” 

Blue watched as both the protector and the magician raised their eyebrows skeptically at the same time. And they both looked at the three of them together. It was rather very creepy. Blue felt a shiver run through her spine. 

“Did they now? Please enlighten us then,” the magician demanded. 

As Gansey told the story, again, Blue tuned out his voice and instead focused on the two men’s reactions. The protector’s stare soon turned into a cold glare, while the magician slowly looked more impressed by Gansey’s intuitiveness. By the time he was finished, Blue could practically feel the ice coming off the protector, but she could see the magician was keeping it at bay by being next to him. 

“That is...something,” he hesitantly said after a few long moments of pondering. “We haven’t had anyone like you in a very long time. If Cabeswater trusted you with its name, then you are worthy.” 

“How long have you been here?” Henry wondered. Blue had caught on the fact that they seemed to know a lot. They both had that aura of wise men. 

“Far longer then you can imagine, I suppose,” the magician responded. 

“Like decades?” Gansey inquired. They were both silent and he balked, “centuries?” 

The magician, protector and familiar all shared a look like they were telling an inside joke with just their eyes. The magician shook his head. 

“I wouldn’t go that far. A century perhaps, but not plural.” 

“Then how do you look so young? You look our age! Tell me your secrets!” Henry exclaimed. 

“As I’m sure you figured out already, time is kind of wonky here. It doesn’t follow the same rules as everything else outside. When you’re here, time just...stops. You don’t age. A little disorienting when one steps out into the real world after being here, but we are the protectors, and we are here because we are needed. And it seems Cabeswater wants you as well.”

Blue crossed her arms. “What if we don’t want to help out?” 

The magician just stared at her. It made Blue squirm and reminded her of the way Persephone used to look at her. Like she could see the inside of Blue’s soul. She hadn’t missed the whimsical psychic this much in many years. 

“Something tells me that you’re not the kind of person who’d refuse to give help. And even if you did, it’ll just always call back to you. Maybe not now, but in times of trouble. You all hold magic in your souls and wield it in different ways, but all are valuable.” 

The familiar leaned his head against the magicians. “Can we  _ please  _ tell them our names already? I’m tired of being referred to as the familiar.”

The magician turned to the protector. “Your call.” 

The protector stared at them hard for a long minute. He let out a huff and crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine.” 

The familiar all but jumped in joy. He clapped his hands together and pointed both his index fingers at the three of them. 

“Thank heaven and hell! I’m Noah, and that’s Adam,” he said pointing to the magician, “and that brooder is Ronan. Welcome to our forest!” 

The air seemed to shift at the reveal of the names. Blue felt power pulse through her body. Gansey leaned forward, excited to finally have more information. “Marvelous! I’m Richard, but I prefer if you call me Gansey, and this is-” he started. 

“I’m Blue,” she interrupted, “and I can introduce myself, thank you very much.” 

Gansey blushed and gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Jane.” 

Blue rolled her eyes and patted him on the arm in forgiveness. 

“I’m Henry.” Then RoboBee decided to make its appearance and started to fly around the little room. 

Blue watched as Ronan eyed the contraption and narrowed his eyes. When the bee was close he snatched it from the air. Blue saw Henry lean forward. “Hey! Watch it!” 

Ronan opened his fist and brought it close to his face. Adam leaned in as well studying it. Then he gave Ronan a look, and they seemed to communicate with each other. Ronan whipped his head up. 

“Where did you get this?” he demanded. 

The three of them were taken aback at the bite in his tone. Even Noah seemed startled by the harshness. Adam’s soft exterior dropped and his eyes held a wolfish glint in them. Blue had no idea what was happening. She looked to Henry who looked scared out of his mind. 

“Uh, my mother gave it to me. I’ve had it all my life,” he quickly explained. 

“Where did your mother get this?” Ronan growled out. 

She saw Henry visibly swallow. Gansey started to sit up and put his hands out in a sign of peace, but Adam let out a growl that was not human and Gansey backed down again. She noticed Adam’s canines were much sharper than normal. Henry had his hands up in surrender. 

“I, I have no idea. She’s a trader for magical objects,” he continued. 

Ronan held the little bee in between his thumb and index finger. He showcased it to all of them. 

“This is a dream artifact from my father. I’ll ask again. How did she get this?” he commanded.

Henry shrugged his shoulders. “I guess from your father then? Seriously, I have no idea.” 

Ronan narrowed his blue eyes more. “My father’s been dead for more than a century. All his shit has been kept under lock and key by myself and Adam since then. We made sure to get all of it from out of the wrong hands. So the question still stands, how did your mother get this?” 

“And the answer is still: I don’t know,” Henry bit back. He was getting frustrated. “Can I have it back?” 

He held his palm out to them, but neither Ronan or Adam moved. They were still acting hostile. 

“No, you can’t. It’s been out in the real world for too long as it is. I can’t be having bad people finding it.” 

“That’s not fucking fair. It’s mine,” Henry argued. 

“It belongs to my family first. And this shit has only caused us trouble and pain. It’s getting locked away.” Ronan stood up. Henry went to follow after, but Adam then jumped up and growled to stay away as Ronan walked out of the room. 

“Do not follow. And if you were wise, you’d find out where your mother got it so we can eliminate the threat quickly,” Adam growled. 

Gansey looked appalled. “You’re going to kill his mother for stumbling upon a… dream artifact or whatever it is you referred to it?”

Adam whipped his head. Blue had no idea how, but he looked more wolfish than human at that moment. He snarled at Gansey. 

“If his mother is dealing with this type of magic again, then we might. This type only brings dark witches with it, and we are not letting it get out of hand again. Now, you best leave before I have to chase you out,” he threatened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it. I feel kinda bad that Ronan and Adam were being major dickheads to Henry. But...there's the start of a plot. They'll all warm up to each other eventually. 
> 
> Once again, comments and kudos are always encouraged and highly appreciated by yours truly. They help motivate me to keep writing! I'll also quickly take this time to promote my other writings, which you can also find here. And you can always find me at jediannabeth.tumblr.com :) Thanks, everyone!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You learn about Ronan and Adam's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though this isn't exactly a hot story, I still like writing about it, so here's the next chapter. I thought it would be nice to develop the history of Adam and Ronan, the mysterious people who live in Cabeswater and seem to be timeless. And some plot has been added too; if you squint hard enough. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! This isn't beta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Adam waited at the top of the stairs that led to the basement of the house. It was where he and Ronan kept all the magical dream stuff locked up after they had lassoed them all back into possession, or at least they thought they got everything. 

He leaned against the door jab with his arms crossed over his chest. Noah came over to join him. The familiar had a worried look on his face. His dark eyebrows were scrunched together causing wrinkles in between them, and his gray eyes which were usually sparkling looked dull. His lips were pulled into a deep frown, very uncharacteristic of Noah’s bubbly personality.  

“You didn’t have to be so threatening to them, you know,” Noah muttered softly. He was looking down at the ground.

Adam just stared at the familiar for a few moments. He did regret the way he reacted, but it had been so long since a dream object had fallen into their possession. It sparked a feeling of foreboding; if this human, Henry had this magical object, then how many others have things like it? It was only spelling trouble. Adam let out a sigh. 

“I know. Something just came over me. I was shocked to see a dream object again, especially one that came from Niall. I know Ronan’s never leaves the property, so I wasn’t worried about those.”  

Noah nodded his head a little bit. He uncrossed his arms and started rubbing one of them with his hand. He was still looking down at the floor, but then he glanced up at Adam. Adam hadn’t seen Noah like this in decades. The familiar bit his lip before speaking again. 

“I also don’t think you should’ve taken the dream bee away from Henry like that. It wasn’t fair,” he defended. 

Adam shrugged his shoulders and let out another sigh. He ran a hand through his hair and tugged on the roots. “Well, we can’t change what happened. I just don’t want things to go down this path again. It was horrible the first time.” 

Adam tried not to drag up the memories. It was a rough time, the height of mobs and gangsters and prohibition. The black market was in full swing, and it wasn’t just for guns and illegal booze, which Ronan did partake in buying illegally, but that’s not the point. Ronan’s father, Niall, was some head honcho that came fresh off the boat from Ireland. And because of the prejudice placed against them, he found the solution that would give him a reputation not to be fucked with. He dreamed things, stuff that was magnificent and fantastical, and showcased them to rich people and sold them on a black market. It was how he gained his fortune. 

But it wasn’t just things Niall Lynch dreamed. He dreamt himself the perfect wife, and they had three boys together; and Niall passed the dreaming gift to his middle son, Ronan. And Ronan went ahead and dreamt himself a little brother, Matthew. 

The Lynch family came from a strong family of wizards and witches back over in Ireland. They were descendants of one of the great Irish kings, and which Niall himself was named after. The Lynch family was strong; but when Niall immigrated to America, he lost that prestige in the new land with the anti-Irish sentiments. And he had wanted to get it back; and the only way he saw fit was through his power. 

But soon other magical families grew interested in Niall and his affinity for having objects that no one else had ever had before. He attracted the attention of dark wizards and witches who wished to have this objects. Niall had felt them closing in on his secret, so he weaved a story of the Greywaren, an object that could take things from the possessor’s dreams. Unfortunately, that only brought the demise of Niall, by a dark wizard and in doing so, wiped out all the knowledge of the Greywaren. 

Declan, the oldest of the Lynch sons, took over the business of Niall. He was a weaver of stories and a master of misguiding interested souls who were still looking for the Greywaren. Not knowing that the middle Lynch, Ronan, was it. It was the genius on Niall’s part, no wizard, even the most powerful would think of a person being able to take things from dreams. 

It wasn’t until a few years later, Adam himself came into the picture. He grew up on the outskirts of Henrietta, where lived with his mortal parents in a shantytown. He didn’t know about the magic world, until he was attacked by a rogue werewolf, and turned into one himself. During a painful transformation, he went into the forest that was located near his home, so he could be alone. It was there he ran into the property that belonged to the Lynch family, and where Ronan himself lived. He had almost attacked Ronan and killed him on sight due to being a wolf, but his familiar, Noah, went into his lynx form to calm Adam down and they helped him when he turned back. 

After that night, the magical world opened up to Adam. Ronan, who was extremely hostile towards Adam, grudgingly explained how the forest had chosen him and allowed him to enter. It needed his help. Adam didn’t understand what any of that had meant at first. But there was a witch who lived in Henrietta who did. 

Persephone was her name, and she taught Adam how to channel his newfound magic and control it to help the ley line that ran through Henrietta. She was whimsical looking, with white blonde hair that looked like a cloud, and her black eyes that seemed to be all-knowing. She was very soft spoken, and not a woman of many words. But she as the best teacher Adam had ever had. 

It was okay for a few years. But then more dark magic started to seep into the pores of Henrietta. Dream objects that Niall had sold, were being used in nefarious ways, and the hunt for the Greywaren was at a new height. The son of a mafia boss, Joseph Kavinsky came sauntering into town. Him and Ronan affiliated with each other, due to bad coping mechanisms. Kavinsky found out Ronan’s secret, and in turn realized he had the same gift. It all came to a standstill, when Ronan turned on Kavinsky, knowing that he would sell Ronan out, and they dueled on the Fourth of July, ending with the death of Kavinsky. 

The murderer of Niall Lynch came looking for the Greywaren too but had defected from his boss. He was a powerful wizard, and had nearly killed Declan when they faced off. But he helped the Lynch family protect their name. It was at his suggestion that they take back all of Niall’s dream objects from the public and keep them away for good. 

For years, Ronan, Adam, Declan, and others who were in alliance, went hunting down for each and every object. Declan had kept all of his father’s books of every item he’d dreamt, and where he sold them. Slowly the collection grew more complete, and the danger of the dream objects and the Greywaren died down with it. 

Declan and Matthew were still out in the world, always on the lookout for trouble. Occasionally, they will send a notice of activity to Ronan and Adam and Noah, just as a heads up and a reminder that there will always be a danger. The forest they protected is of vital importance though. It is the heart of the ley line magic, and there are those who would want to harness it’s power as much as they want their hands on the Greywaren. It was the protector and the magician’s job to make sure it stays balanced and in the right hands. 

Adam heard Ronan stomping back up the stairs. When he came into sight, Adam saw that he was still angry at the turn of events. His face was still flushed red, making his eyes stand out more. His lips were pursed tight. He stormed past Noah and Adam, who followed him into the kitchen. 

Ronan had the tendency to angry cook, and angry drink. Adam sat down at one of the stools and watched as Ronan angrily pushed the buttons on the oven and preheated the stove and yanked open drawers to grab pots. 

Noah had turned into his lynx form and smartly strolled out the back door and away from Ronan in his state. Adam just sat in silence as Ronan continued to cook their dinner for them. Adam wasn’t about to complain; he was a shit cook. The last time he had cooked, Ronan heavily complained that Adam made the steak “too fucking rare”. Adam hadn’t even noticed, and Ronan rolled his eyes and finished making his own piece. Noah didn’t care, he’d eat anything that was given him. 

Ronan distributed the bowls that were filled with alfredo chicken pasta. He was still brooding, and his mood didn’t seem to improve. He stalked over to the back door and yanked it open and stuck his head out. 

“Noah! If you don’t want to starve you better come inside now!” he yelled out to the open fields and barns of the backyard property. 

Adam had always found it interesting that time never seemed to move inside Cabeswater, but the sun still rose and set every day. Cabeswater seemed to live to give the illusion of time passing, but this place just had a sense of being timeless. The only indications of time passing are all the little knick-knacks that have gathered from the outside world over the decades.

Records were stacked in boxes in the living room. There was an old phonograph that belonged to Niall and Aurora from the 1920s. Cassette tapes also littered boxes, and a stereo could also be seen. A beautiful piano with ivory keys was also hunkered against the wall, and well used by Ronan, and Matthew when he comes to visit. 

All over the walls of the house are photographs taken from all different parts of time. There were photos of portraits of the Lynch family, taken in 1914 when Ronan was thirteen years old. Declan was fifteen, and Matthew was ten. They all looked so serious, and the photo was sepia in color, showing it’s age. 

Ronan and Declan’s soldier portraits from the Great War were also framed on the walls. Ronan had forged his documents to fight, not that surprised Adam all that much. There was a photo of Ronan and Declan in front of a plane, leaning against it and smiling. It was before their father had died and the animosity between them emerged. 

There were photos of Ronan using magic to awe Matthew when they were little kids. The Lynch brothers dressed up for Halloween, as ghosts with sheets thrown over their bodies. And there were many photos of Ronan and Adam. 

There was one of the two of them both dressed impeccably in suits and fedoras during the late 1920s. That was the height of the whole issue with dream objects and Kavinsky, but this was taken during a rare moment of tranquility. Ronan had a bottle of whiskey in his hand, and Adam had a cigarette hanging out of his smirking mouth. There was also a photo of the two of them sitting together in Harvard Yard when Adam attended after everything had blown over in the mid-thirties. Adam was sitting in between Ronan’s legs as he had his arms wrapped around Adam’s shoulders. They had moved into the real world during Adam’s college years, before moving back to the Barns in Cabeswater afterward. 

More photos of them hung around, and as the decades went on, they gained more color. After World War Two, things got better in the magic world. Cabeswater didn’t need them protecting them all the time. They got out more, watched their first technicolor movie in 1939, and charmed people into ignoring their relationship. Adam always laughed at their long hair during the 1970s, when it was cool to have long hair. They looked like idiots during the ‘70s and ‘80s. 

Ronan took a loving to the grunge look of the 1990s and has seemed to hold onto that look ever since. The black muscle shirts, leather jackets, ripped jeans, flannel shirts, combat boots, the shaved hair. He’d always liked the shaved head look though, so that wasn’t anything new. He also loved that stupid electronica music that didn’t have any words and sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Adam, who still preferred the jazz music of his childhood and the rock and roll from the mid-century. 

Ronan sat down across the table and started to stab his pasta rather roughly and eat it. Adam did eat his with a little more grace. Noah came in through the door, in his human form a minute late and plopped himself down and started to eat, not even looking what was in the bowl. It was silent between the three of them for a few minutes. Once Adam was done, he put his fork down and wiped his mouth with his arm. 

“How do you think Declan is going to take to this?” Adam asked finally. 

Ronan stopped mid-chew and looked up at Adam. His blue eyes were piercing. “He’s not going to find out.” Then he continued to eat. 

Adam tilted his head to the side confused. He leaned forward and rested his arms on the table staring hard at Ronan. 

“What do you mean he isn’t going to find out? He needs to be told. Both him and Matthew. They’re out sources on the outside. Who’s to think this is the only object still out there? If someone could get their hands on one, there’s bound to be others waiting.” 

Ronan finished and pushed the bowl to the side. He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“He’s going to have a fucking conniption if he finds out that we met someone who had one of dad’s objects.” 

Adam shrugged his shoulders. “It’s better for him to know now, then find out later when things might get worse.” 

“They’re not going to get worse. No one’s been after this shit in a century,” Ronan countered. 

“That’s because we thought we had hunted down all the items your dad dreamt and sold. This must’ve not been documented for some reason. If there’s one out there, then there could be more we don’t know about. I’ve been sensing something coming for a while now.” 

Ronan’s eyebrows pinched together and his eyes narrowed at Adam’s. “You’ve felt something? And you decided not to tell us?” 

Adam pointed a finger at Ronan. “Looks who's calling the kettle black. Why do you think that trio stumbled upon us now of all times? We haven’t had visitors since shit was hitting the fan the last time. If Cabeswater is allowing new people in, that means it wants more protection. Something’s coming, and we should stop it now before it gets worse.”

Noah took a bite of his pasta and pointed the fork to Ronan. “He’s right you know,” he said to Ronan. 

Adam and Ronan just stared at each other for a minute, not backing down. Finally, Ronan turned away and snarled. “I fucking hate it when you’re right.” 

Adam shrugged with a victorious smile on his face. “Didn’t go to Harvard for nothing,” he shouted to Ronan who walked away to call his brother.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! I personally enjoyed writing the brief history of the Lynches, and Adam and Ronan's relationship. Even though it's in Adam's pov, which I didn't plan on, but it just sort of happened. 
> 
> Anyways, comments and kudos are always appreciated and encouraged. Thanks again!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! I always liked the idea of Adam as a werewolf. I don't know why. Comments and kudos are always appreciated and keep me motivated. Thanks everyone!


End file.
